Idle Thumbs

A video game discussion podcast

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Idle Thumbs is a video game podcast full of in-depth discussion and absurdity. Between overly-enthusiastic dissections of their latest media experiences and baffling phonological explorations of Jeff Goldblum's name, the cast has managed to find a regular audience of dedicated readers. Scoop up the latest episode and hear us extol the virtues of whatever we've just watched, played, or read—then attempt to answer reader mail before getting sidetracked about robots.

May 12, 2018
All of our lives have been upended because of some pretty awesome news (read item one here, and item two here), and it has had the unfortunate effect of knocking our recording schedule totally out of whack. So for this month's Idle Thumbs we have something a little different!

At PAX East 2018, Chris moderated a panel called "Building Bridges & Breaking Barriers" and we're privileged to share it with you! Here's the official description: This panel brings a diverse group of individuals together who are actively working – often times behind-the-scenes - in the game space to help bridge cultural gaps and create positive communities. Panelists will share personal stories on how they overcame cross-cultural challenges, not just in their own “backyard” but also across the world!

We're not sure when a 100% regular schedule will resume but we'll keep you posted! In the mean time enjoy this episode and thanks for listening!

Recent Idle Thumbs Episodes

April 28, 2018
Enjoy this bonus episode drawn from the Idle Thumbs Patreon Ruination Online! Each month, we do a livestream where all topics have been posed by high-tier backers of our Patreon campaign: patreon.com/IdleThumbs.

Due to popular demand, we're releasing the audio of that stream to the main podcast feed for easier listening.

As usual, we'll be back with a regular episode of Idle Thumbs soon!

Discussed: Our purchasing habits of boxed versus digital games, having a physical library of things you love or worked on, dedicating the Earth's finite resources to preserving your garbage, the allure of designing a board game, modern board games taking from video games, how do you explain Important If True, it's impossible, the "wits" path of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, a machine to erase the memories that make you cringe, an infinite cringe spiral, YTMND, snoopkirby2, headshots, making an extinct creature real, making Jar Jar Binks real, making an ideal new social network, committing to an arduous task even after you realize it is insane, is sci-fi or fantasy better, petty crimes, stupid crimes, crime, the worst food to put ketchup on, the overlap between Important If True and Idle Thumbs listeners over time, Studio Ghibli, things we love about San Francisco, what is the Tech Corner?

April 17, 2018
Everything keeps resetting, but still you progress. You got the sword, the watering can, but you died five times in the process. The teens burned down your pirate ship while you were away. Your audio equipment is degrading at an unsettling rate. Fortunately everything is safe, now that you live in the cloud. Now that you're live in the cloud.

Note: We recorded this one with every host remote, and as a result it's a little lower key than usual, but we hope you enjoy it all the same. For a weird experience, watch the video version.

Games Discussed: Minit, The Legend of Zelda, Hyper Light Drifter, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Sea of Thieves, Imbroglio, Cinco Paus, Jackbox Party Packs, You Don't Know Jack (2018)

March 26, 2018
Enjoy this bonus episode drawn from the Idle Thumbs Patreon Ruination Online! Each month, we do a livestream where all topics have been posed by high-tier backers of our Patreon campaign: patreon.com/IdleThumbs.

Due to popular demand, we're releasing the audio of that stream to the main podcast feed for easier listening.

We'll be back with a regular episode of Idle Thumbs soon!

Discussed: Your first gaming system, watching every film that ever has won--or ever will win--Best Picture at the Academy Awards, adapting our podcasts to the popular medium of anime, ASMR, #ASMRsensations, bay area restaurants' inability to stay open because our local economy is a disaster, eating take-out when in a video game development late night hell, exercise and self care, Amazon Alexa as the nexus of everything we've ever discussed, how to behave at a video game convention, the best year of our lives, 2014, The Matrix, All Robots Go To Heaven, eating foreign cuisine, a malevolent chef aiming to prepare the most disgusting possible dish of your favorite foreign cuisine, video game user experience design, designing an Idle Thumbs-themed room escape, changing one thing about the world, horrifying consequences, noticing all Academy Award-winners suddenly change to reveal possible future outcomes for mankind, enjoying things you thought you'd hate, Patreon postcards, an update on the status of George Broussard's Hamburger

About Idle Thumbs

Home of Important If True, a podcast of pop culture and technology absurdity; Idle Weekend for games and entertainment; Three Moves Ahead for strategy games; The Idle Book Club for monthly lit talk, and more!